The Magpie's Lullaby
by TheLifeAndDeathOfMrs.Bliss
Summary: The heartbreak of a young girl can set of any possible future; unfortunately, her heartbreak set off a future of betrayal,rape,and her own death.OCs,filler/movie characters and more!Don't like,don't read.ItaOC
1. One For Sorrow

So, this is a story I was coming up with during the summer,but due to circumstances involving annoying cousins and dictator relatives, it was postponed and hidden away in a secret vault...UNTIL NOW!! The inspiration of this story involved a medieval chant that involved magpies, and was called the magpies lullaby, hence this story.  
I own a few characters that shan't appear as of yet, but the rest are owned by Masashi Kishimoto.  
I don't own the Smashing Pumpkins nor James Iha(curses!) although they are mentioned in minor detail and absentia.  
I do not own The Peony Pavilion.  
I do not own Shan Sa In fact I barely own myself and my emotions.  
So, please enjoy this small ten-chapter story.  
The Magpie's Lullaby- One for Sorrow.  
(Thinking)  
''Speaking"  
dreaming flashbacks

In my dreams, I was in a pavilion,looking over a moonlit lake. Around me were blossoming peonies and roses, and in my palms I held a few anemones. Surrounding the lake, and the pavilion, was a wide range of mountains, capped in snow. I was alone, and the pavilion simply rose from the lake. I tried to look to the mountains and saw a fire beginning to rise from behind. Although distant, I hear the screams of people rising and falling in a crescendo, rising and falling like the waves beneath me. I feel something slide down my cheeks and slowly, like in the ethereal movements that accompany a dream, I touch my cheeks.I look at my fingers and instead of translucent tears, they are stained with the redness of a pomegranat. I look back a see something floating to me. I wake up to the sounds of my screams  
" So, have you spoken to the teacher about it"  
"No. Why would I"  
" Because it's your third favorite novel! You seemed desperate about having it in the school library"  
"I guess, but I'm also afraid"  
"Why? That scary dream keeping you up at night"  
"No!" But what was the truth of it? Why didn't I want my favorite novel in the library? What strange curse followed it? Was it the girls it had killed? The lovers it left lonely and cold? The families left behind? Or was it worse than that? I stirred my straw around the bottle, and watched as the bubbles fizzed into oblivion. Wow, I'm creeping myself out now! Fizzed into oblivion...who says emo crap like that now?  
Hey, that reminds me, I never introduced myself to you fine gentlepeople. My name is Yumi. My last name? You can say it's Ohanabotan. Okay, that's not my real last name, but right now, names are not of importance. I was contemplating a perfectly worded excuse against my old frie- Oh, wait, he's saying something.  
"Nani?" Haku took in a great sigh. He was used to my tuning out, and today it would not take him down. He looked at me with the eyes of an annoyed bishonen. " I said why don't you want The Peony Pavilion on the library shelves?" He brushed back a long woven string from his books and got up. He looked down at me warmly and handed me his notebook. I looked at it, slightly confused. It wasn't a Thursday, so why would he hand me his notebook now? " I think you'll figure out what you'll want in the end", was all he said before he walked out of the school cafe into the hallway. I sighed. He knows it takes forever for me to decipher his 'inner meanings'! God, I can't even tell him a joke without him saying something like " Was it a zigzag bridge? Then that means the joke is a pseudonym for chaos!" or ," why the hell does the chicken even look at the road? It's bad feng shui!". But that was how I endured and loved this little kook; he was as disturbed and slightly whimsical as he is beautiful and loving. I looked down back at the notebook, it's ornate drawings Haku doodled during classes, the various messages our small group of friends wrote on it. The notebook wasn't necessarily Haku's,but he was appointed it's guardian because of his semi-hypochondriac ways. The notebook in fact is more or less a tradtion for the school; every year in the beginning, the notebook was circulated throughout the school to every individual student every day, and often switched between classes. It was used to write memories of the past, moments in the present, and hopes for the future; it was the what held this school together from the outside realm of politcs and the authoritarian world of society,families, and the plagues of teenage-hood.No pages torn out, and no added pages. The maximum amount of pages were 5,000 plus, and the notebook was almost always a college-bound compostion notebook. The front was covered in cartoons, messages or epitaphs, and no secrets were kept hidden. In the end of the year, the current notebook was placed in a small vault and was locked away, which would stay locked until hell froze over. The tradition started nearly thirty years ago, so we estimated that by the time the notebook count would reach one hundred, the remaining books would be buried and the process would start anew. Right now, I was going to revel in seeing what Haku wrote for Sociology, what Hinata wrote for physical education, what Tayuya wrote yesterday for world history and what Naruto wrote during Biochemistry.I smiled at thinking that Naruto, as usual, would be thinking of ramen, homework, and the chores his mother would set upon him when he got home.  
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!  
I was startled out of my thoughts and looked at my wristwatch. Three minutes before bell rang again, and in three minutes my first ever tardiness would be pounded onto the white margins of my permanent records, my report card, and my life. I scrambled for my stuff which lay strewn all over the coffee tables, and hurriedly stuffed them into my bag. Finally, after silencing my phone and grabbing hold of my slippery laptop, I walked out the school cafe and into the bright searing eyes of the school lights and the students that hurriedly ran into their classes.

* * *

I arrive to my last destination of the day, History 2, and walk to my appropriate seat, which was in the back of the class. In front of me, Haku sat down gracefully and brushed back his hair, while Kimimaro sat next to him, shrinking forward to cough suddenly. For a second concern filled my veins at remembering Kimimaro's cancer, and how he had only returned to school under the condition his treatment would resume during breaks. Suigetsu roughly pushed his way into the group and with that the three friends that had literally been raised together was complete. I turn away from the triumvirate and look around at the gathering class; here comes Neji, his bag bursting to the seams with books and journals and whatever else a blooming writer needs. Following Neji is Sai,who carried a book, a sketch pad, a pencil and charcoal; his day never started without him drawing the tree outside the window he sat next to. Kiba followed promptly, hiding his dog Akamaru in the bag, althoug half the class new he was in there. Sakura,Tenten and Ino followed in,heads bent, shoulders quivering slightly, and a burst of giggling as soon as they sat down in their seats.Shikamaru, who had already arrived before the bell rang, had fallen asleep the moment his body touched the desk. Sasuke entered next,followed closely by my cousin Naruto, who was busy texting someone on his phone. Then a crowd of students surged threw the door, and I managed to discern a tad few faces from the crowd; Tayuya's red hair, Shino's glasses reflecting the light,Kankuro's tattoos, and Juugo's orange hair. The bell rings, and all is at peace. Kakashi-sensei begins to drone on about some historical massacre, and next to me, Naruto is still texting and occasionally looking up. Finally, he puts the phone away and turns to me. He looks at me and for a few moments, nothing happens. Finally, he inhales and whispers quietly ," We're missing someone." And he was right. Someone WAS missing. "Sorry we're late, sensei"  
That voice. That hearthrobbing voice that stole my breathe away everytime I hear it, and makes my heart stop, and makes me think of a million things; thousands of blooming roses, a single drop of water united by another drop of water, a warm fire, a moon reflecting off the waters of a lake.  
(no no no not that not the lake)  
Kakashi-sensei looks up from his desk and blinks." Huh? Oh, Mr. Uchiha, so glad you can join us." Oh, he's here. Naruto looks from Itachi-san to me, back to Itachi and to me. He smirks and whispers ," Itachi and Yumi sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" He begins to laugh behind his books, trying to hide it, but nothing can escape Kakashi Hatake.  
"Mr. Uzumaki, care to explain what is so funny"  
"Huh? Aw,oh shi- I mean, oh fu- I mean-I mean- Aw crap"  
"And that is exactly what you will say to Tsunade-senpai,so please walk quietly so as not to disturb any class to her office,please." Naruto hangs his head low,face red as a beet, as he (quietly) walks to Tsunade-sensei's office. I look down, sighing. This was the eighteenth time he went to her office, and always I manage to find fault in myself whenever he does. Everyone comments about my lack of courage, right down to my own crush." What Naruto does in his own time has nothing to do with you, so snap out of that little bubbly world before you run out of air." Itachi told me once. I burned with humiliation that day, and buried myself in The Peony Pavilion throughout the day. Now, as Itachi-san helped Kakashi-sensei in his teachings, and without Naruto spying on me, I was free to watch as In watched my beloved's graceful, lithe movements, all I can think of is what possible future we may ever have together. I sigh at how girlish and foolish my daydreams were, right down to how our wedding would be like! I smiled at my own folly to spite myself, and awoke to find my crush's eyes on me. I sit up like lightning had struck me and I did the only thing I could muster; I blushed furiously and buried myself in the history book. It was a technique I watched Hinata do around Naruto and I learned to use it well. I waited a few seconds, looked up and saw Itachi still looking in my direction, grinning slightly and a looking a little confused. No,no,no! Don't look at me! I'm only an insignificant bug in your godly sight! Don't taint your holy sight with the likes of humble me! I look down and look back up again. He has turned away, and his eyes were indescribable. I sigh a breathe in relief, but deep down, as deep as hope could be buried in a sea of sins, I felt a slight pinprick of guilt. Why was I so damn shy? Was my love for books and music and the wordly arts only slightly keeping me adrift from drowning in my own fears and worries? Or was The Peony Pavilion the very sea that was dragging me to the abyss? Had I hurt my crush by ignoring wahtever marginal feelings he had towards me? I looked down to my thin fingers.They were trembling slightly, and the small mood ring glistened in the light of the class. It was the color red, the color of passion, new beginnings, and blood.

* * *

Class ended, and I was still sitting pensively on my seat. The sea of students was beginning to disperse,but there were still dozens of students left, talking, exchanging notes and cheats, and pondering the meaning of life. I, meanwhile, was watching my crush helping Kakashi-sensei gather his papers and stack them in a neat pile, and I was thinking to myself how to approach myself to Itachi. Endless possibilites filled my mind and more, and all ended in outrageous fashions. I slapped myself mentally, and I got up. My sudden movement attracted attention from Sasuke, Haku,Suigetsu, and (unfortunatly) Sakura. However, Itachi remained unperturbed, although he did slightly straighten up. I gather my things and begin a slow, steady march towards Itachi. No one noticed, but I was heading towards the crossroads that decide between love and loneliness, pain and pleasure, life and death.  
I stop in front of Itachi, who was still gathering some papers for Kakashi-sensei, who had left the room for whatever reason. His back was turned to me, and even though the shirt wasn't (that) tight, the muscles were still visible through the whiteness of the shirt, rippling like waves. Even though he was muscled, he still held an elegance within him, refined and tasteful and yet rebellious in it's own way at the same time. And all this radiated from his own back. I gulped hard, trying to dissovle and abstraction that had formed in my throat, and I only managed to be rid of half of it. "I-Itachi-senpai?" I asked feebly. I really had no desire to want to speak to him now, of all times, but something deep within me was pushing me to speak to him. Maybe a ghost from the past, something whispered to me in my mind. He turned to look at me and something flashed in his eyes. Was it some memory, or was it one of those seven emotions Haku talked about? Whatever it was, passed within milliseconds, and a beautiful smile formed on his beautiful face. "Yes, Yumi-san? You need something?" Always so polite to me, no matter the circumstance! I smiled almost desperately and bowed my head a little." Well, I guess you can say I need help with an assignment, but I...I can't stay after school, so I was wondering if you...have any free time,that is"  
" If I could come over to your house and help you with the assignment"  
"Uh,well...yeah"  
" Well I gu"  
"Itachi-kun! Long time no see! How are things going?" A voice, a very familiar voice,booms heartily from the doorway. Itachi and I turn to see Jiraiya-sensei, the vice principal and science teacher walk in through the door. It seems Kakashi-sensei had been talking to him outside and now he had walked into the classroom. " How's your family? Is your sister(!) alright? How about your mother? Or that fiancee of yours? Come, lets have a drink together?" He pulls Itachi towards the door, and Itachi turns to me.Clearly, he had not intended for me to hear the conversation. He gave me a look that was indescribable, and he left. I was left in the emptying classroom, thinking only to myself a few things: He has a fiancee? He's getting married? It makes sense, though. Itachi and Sasuke come from a rich family, so it would make sense that his family would choose a girl of higher stature to marry and reproduce refined children. I almost chastised myself, thinking at how foolish I was to ever think I had a chance with him.Silently, tears slid down my cheeks, and when I touched them, they were as pale as my skin.  
"Yumi-chan?" I feel a soft touch on my shoulder, and I quickly wipe my cheeks dry. I turn around and find Neji Hyuga looking at me, pity shining from his pale eyes. He offered me a small smile, and held out a piece of paper. I look at the paper, almost perplexed. Neji Hyuga came from another refined family, older than the Uchiha family, so knowing that someone like him would reach out to a poor common girl like me almost shook me to the core. Nevertheless,I take the paper. He smiled at me, and walked away. For a while I stay rooted to the ground, aware that the class was almost empty. I held the slightly crumpled paper and snap myself out of my aloofness. Slowly, I open the paper and gasped slightly. The paper was decorated with a seemless background of a garden, with a blossoming peony tree overshadowing the whole beautiful scene with it's magnificence, and resting below the tree is a young women dressed up as a geisha, holding out her hand from under her umbrella, and catching a few petals.Above her was a poem written in delicate cursive letters;

_The swiftness of a dagger and the slice of the pen_

_ the well defined gift of my ancestors _

_can never bring as much pain as a maiden in sorrow._

The poem had been written by Neji in the style of his favorite writer, Shan Sa, and the background was drawn by Sai, who sat next to Neji during class. I held the paper a while longer, then slipped it into my notebook. I walked out of the classroom, and passed Zetian Tanakamoto. She looked at me with distaste,much the same way Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha would look upon me later on. For a moment no one spoke, and the tension weighed heavily on my shoulders. Finally, Zetian wrinkled her paper-cutter nose and said in a powerful voice ," So, how's your family treating you, Yumi-chan? Are your mother and brothers' jobs paying them well? Or has the well of Johns zapped dry again?" With that she let out a heart laugh and with the swish of her hips left. I sighed. Zetian had always been cruel to me, and always taunted me over the fact that my brother Yuri had been arrested several times over the same charge, prostitution. But, as always, I let her have the last word.My heart had been crushed today, so why should I let her add coals to the fire? Zetian's words had stopped hurting me years ago, and deep down, she knew it too. But there was one major reason I couldn't reply to her comments; my mother Nadeshiko relied heavily on her job, a large succesful company that was owned by Zetian's father. Recently, Mother's wages had been cut back to nearly half of what they were worth, and although the manager had said it was due to recent 'economic setbacks' I knew Zetian was somewhat behind it.  
I walked out of the building and spotted my cousin Naruto with several of his closest friends...including Sasuke Uchiha.Naruto spotted me coming out of the building and waved." Yumi-oneechan! HEY! YUMI!!OVER HERE!TURN OVER HERE!!" I cringed back at hearing my own name, and as soon as I turned, I was attacked by my own cousin. " Heya, cuz! How's life treating you lately? Hey, why so sad?" Typical Naruto, always so concerned when he shouldn't be.His goofy,adorable face remolded into that of a young man that may possibly be taken for serious." What did that old whore Zetian do now?" It was no secret Zetian had a grudge against me, and despite her wealth and near celebrity-status, she had a majority of the students against her and her group.Once, when I asked Haku why Zetian hated me, he stated ,"A spiteful woman is a jealous woman." As usual, it made no sense to me. I smiled a little and shook my head." Nothing, Naruto-san"  
" For the love of Elvis(yeah,don't ask) Yumi, can't you call me little cousin for once? I'll let you call me your little kitsune!" I laughed despite myself at hearing Naruto call himself a nickname his mother gave him that he despises so much. I was related to Naruto through my mother, Nadeshiko, who was the older sister of Minato Namikaze. Both had grown up defending each other, yet they looked so different no one would believe they were even related; Uncle Minato had the spiked blonde hair,sun-darkened skin and unruly stormy blue eyes of his father, while my mother had the long curly black hair,pale skin and crystalline blue eyes of her mother.After my brothers and I were born, Uncle graduated and along with Tatsuichi Tanakamoto and various others,he started the Heavenlight Corporation, which was extremely successful. Uncle Minato then married Auntie Kushina,who was and still is a successful opera singer(yeah, this gets more outrageous), and three years later had my cousin Naruto.However, my mother Nadeshiko was poor and desperately needed a job to support herself and her three young children, to which Uncle Minato offered her a job as a secretary. In fact, Uncle Minato still wants to offer my mother a better job in the corporation, but either because Tatsuichi has a grudge against him or it's Zetian's play, my mother has still retained her secretarial job and is earning less than she normally did before. When my brother Yuki managed to earn himself a nod at a prestigious school, Mother was unable to pay for anything and Auntie Kushina,who adored her sister-in-law and her niece and nephews,secretly payed for his tuition and the dormitories until Yuki got himself his own job.Although she becomes stressed from her job and the fact that she still has to support two children and one abroad, my mother is generally happy and cheerful, something both she and Uncle Minato share.  
I push my younger cousin off of me and brush myself off. Naruto pouts and begins to tell me about his day."So, this morning, I was talking to Kiba, and you are SOOOO not gonna believe this, but his sister Hana is getting married." I freeze. The Inuzuka family wasn't well renown or as rich as the Uchiha family, but they still had plenty of connections to the world of the elite. Nevertheless, I paste a smile and ask sweetly," Really? To whom"  
"Remember that guy we met at the Uchiha's party a couple weeks back? One of Itachi's buddies"  
"Umm...Itachi has a lot of friends"  
"Kisame Hoshigaki. Apparently, during TEH party, they hit it off quickly and,you know, this and that and everything else, they get engaged. Isn't that SOOO SCANDELOUS?" He ended his sentence in the same tone Sakura Haruno uses when she wants to relay something 'juicy' to her peers. I laugh." Yeah. I guess so. Anyway, tell Kiba to congragulate his sister for me"  
" You got it,dude! Anyway, Hana and Kisame aren't the only ones hearing wedding bells!" I gulped. I knew Naruto knew about my crush with Itachi,but after what I heard, would he be foolish to tell me about it?"Remember my my mom's older brother"  
"You mean Katsu"  
"Actually, he changed it to Katsu-YA. You know how OCD that man can be." True, he is very much OCD." Well, he got engaged...again...to this old hooker named Yui. So,yeah they're getting married next month.Mom's pretending to be happy, but I know she wants to tear Yui's throat out. Dad's trying to hold her back,as usual. You and Aunt Nadeshiko are invited to come,by TEH way"  
"Naruto, you know how much I hate Leetspeek"  
"Yeah, I know. Why else would I talk this way"  
He starts laughing and gets up to join his friends. I smile but inside I want to scream. I want to tear out whatever was holding me to Itachi and stomp on it and just disapear. But I can't. Aside from problems at school, my brother Yuri has more than ten criminal charges against him. Each time my mother was too poor to bail him out, each time my uncle bailed him out, each time he went to juvey,got out and did it again. I try to calm him from doing what he normally does, and being the protective older brother he was,he was forcd to comply. So far nothing bad has happened,but I knew he snuck out at night to hang out at a nearby brothel.My mother knew about it,too, but she was far too kindhearted to do anything about it. I snap out of my mind and grab Naruto's cuffs. He looks down in surprise." Any news about the Uchihas? Any wedding announcements." He looks shocked and for a moment, his face changes; first into realization, then into a gloomy look, and then he tried to cover it all up with a look of no knowledge." Nope. I'm not an Uchiha, and they generally don't announce things until a month before it happens. But... don't tell anyone, 'cause he wants to keep this a secret," he lowers his voice to a mere whisper," Sasuke's actually an U-Chi-Ha."I feign a look of utter shock." Really? And all this time I thought he was an anorexic Akimichi!" Naruto nods his head in compliance, then pointed his thumb at Sasuke,who was sitting under the tree frequented by Naruto's friends, brooding as usual. Naruto turns to his friends."Ask him about it." was all he said before he joined the picture of worry-free adolescents. I look at the Kodak moment, come to my senses, reach into my bag,and bring out my camera. It was a hobby, and an inexpensive one at that. Mother never complained about it, because she knew it was a better hobby than Yuri's pastime.I snap a couple pictures, then pull away to admire it personally. I looked at life through a camera's lense, but I was careful never to leave it open all the time,in case I should snap a picture I disagreed with.

(like today)  
Shikamaru Nara is sleeping on one of the branches, and was in danger of falling off on top of Choji Akimichi, who was busy eating the barbecue-flavored potatoe chips he loved. Kiba Inuzuka had freed Akamaru of his confounds( methinks that be-eth a word)and was playing catch with the beloved pooch and unofficial mascot of the school.Rock Lee was standing on his hands, counting to 200, and yelling at at his friends that if he did not reach said number,he would do three hundred jogs around the city again.Gaara No Sabaku was busy being amused by Lee's antics while Kankuro,his older brother, was busy fixing a much loved puppet. Their sister Temari was with Hinata Hyuga and Tenten Ama, talking about the apparent wedding plans of Hana Inuzuka. Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were busy spying on Sasuke and vying for the much coveted role of Prom-date with Karin Haruno,Sakura's cousin. Sai, the local school artist was with Neji,talking about the latest art project the school had issued out.Shino Aburame was also on the tree,opposite Shikamaru, trying to catch some bugs for his 'collection'.Juugo Tenpin and Kimimaro Kaguya were waiting for Shizune-san, who would drop them off to the hospital for Kimimaro's blood transfusion and Juugo's therapy. Haku Shiro and Suigetsu Houzuki, the local couple as they were called, were busying themselves over which movie they would see tonight. I knew that Haku would demand Mamma Mia! being a big fan of Meryl Streep( who isn't?) but that Suigetsu would be partial to The Mummy:Tomb of the Dragon Emperor( two words; Jet.Li). down below, I spotted Jirobo,Tayuya,Sakon,Ukon and Kidomaru, the members of a notorious gang that had once been nine people(I'll give you a cookie if you figure out which gang I'm talking about!) but had spanded to nearly a thousand more. It was strange to notice that Dosu Kinuta,Zaku Abumi and Kin Tsuchi, who were also part of the gang, were not with them. I chalked it up to gang-related issues and continued my sweep of the school(this is were the OCs,movie and the filler characters play their parts); Mameha Katsemiyo,Raiha Tatematsu and the younger sister of Itachi(by five years) and Sasuke(by three minutes) Sayuri Uchiha were walking out of the art building,arms conjoined. They were the 'Three Muskateer-ettes' as Raiha called themselves, and never were their a group of their kind more displaced then they were; each was the total opposite of another; Raiha Tatematsu was the the proclaimed 'Fashion Queen' of the school and whose lockers were filled with make up and various accesories. Mameha Katsemiyo was the bookworm of the group who was simingly raised by Ernest Hemingway and Edgar Allan Poe; she was tall and thin, but not without her glasses. Sayuri was more of the liberal hippy; while she could afford the finest clothes in the world, she chose the same path as her twin brother,Sasuke; she had forgone richs for the needy people of the world, and was often seen at rallies and protests. They had met through some strange twist of fate, and although each had a disliked one another in the beginning, they had formulated the group and became the closest of friends. They marched off towards the tree, Raiha laughing at what Mameha had just said.I watched the school empty itself and spotted familiar faces;Shizue who sat next to her during orchestra,Ami who was always coloring her nails during Math,Miharu whose locker was next to mine,the two Asukas who looked completely different and yet were close friends,Kairi,Hanami,Reika,Kiyoshi,Daisuke,Yakumo Kurama,Ayame,Ibiki Morino from gymYagura,Sumaru,Mizura,Hokuto,Sagi,Toki,Chishima, Suzumebachi,Temujin,Hikaru,Aoi,Sasame,Kagero,Sora,Shion,Matsuri,Isaribi,Menma,Akane,Natsumi, and faces she knew but didn't know their names.

Then Zetian Takakamoto and her posse marched out. Zetian walked passed me, and smirking,whispered something to her second in command,who began bawling in laughter. Naruto,who had decided to sit down next to Sasuke, looked up. He turned to me and mouthed ,"Aren't you going to ask?" I nod and head towards Sasuke. I try hard to march,but wearing black leggings that are a bit too small under a black peasant skirt was hard, and it resulted in me nearly falling. I finally managed to get to Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke seemed oblivious towards me, and it takes a second for me to know Sasuke was listening to his MP3. I wave a hand in front of his face, and he is startled out of his thoughts. He looks up at me and nods, which I take as either "May I be of service?","Sit and talk to me" or "what the hell do you want?". I sit down and turn to Sasuke. " So...Sasuke. Your here...under the tree"  
"Yep. Pretty hard to imagine my life would lead to this"  
I nod towards his MP3." So...what are you listening to"  
"Smashing Pumpkins"  
"Oh, I see. Which song"  
"The End is the Beginning is the End"  
"You mean the one from Batman and Robin"  
"Yep. Good song,bad movie"  
"Well, maybe it could have been better if it had been executed better. I could sorta see where they were heading, but they went there to quick"  
"Yep, that's certainly true. So... I hear you want to ask me something."I turn to him in surprise." Umm...uh, yeah...you remind me of James Iha!" I squeak out and cover my mouth quickly. Certainly that part was true, but that was not what I wanted to say. Naruto smacked himself on the foreheaded and mouthed "Aiya! She's crazy." While Sasuke stood muted,amused over the situation. "Really? The bassist for Smashing Pumpkins? Why"  
"Well, you were never compared to him"  
"Nope. I'm flattered,though. Anyway, I know you want to ask about Itachi's engagement. I'm sorry to say he is getting married." I freeze up again. So, it was true. I had half hoped what Jiraiya-sama said was a mistake of words, but Sasuke was Itachi's beloved younger brother. He may as well have shot me through the heart, although I felt the experience of the pain a bullet would have caused as well. Sasuke sensed my heartbreak (or maybe he heard it it probably cracked like vase)  
and a mixture of pity and self-regret filled his eyes." Sorry you had to find out. And I'm sorry to say that my parents chose the least compatible person for Itachi." I look up, unaware that a tear had leaked from my eye. But I force myself to ask." Who"  
"Zetian Tanakamoto." There. Out like that,without a hint of remorse or pain. My head turns towards Zetian. She turns and wiggles her fingers at me. She knew. She knew how much I wanted Itachi, and she took the opportunity to tear my heart out. More tears burst from my eyes, and for several minutes I sat their tears sliding down my cheeks. Neji and Sai's picture ruffled from the wind, and my black hair flowed in the air. "Hey, Sasuke." The three of us turns to the voice. Itachi stands over their red Mercedes, and Sayuri was already sitting in the backseat." It's time to go home.Hey, Yumi, what's wrong?" He walks up and bends to my level. With his finger,he lifts my face towards his. Any other day I would have appreciated such kindness, but today I felt like dying. I pull away,grab my things and run from the sight, despite the many calls from Naruto, Itachi and various others. I could hear the conversation from the distance;  
"Naruto, what's wrong with Yumi"  
"Geez,Itachi, you graduated from Yale top of the class, and you can't even take a hint from a sad girl"  
"What"  
"Hey, Itachi, you really ought to change from 'Man of the Year' to 'Hearbreaking Bastard"  
The voices faded away as I ran towards my house.Uncle Minato's car was parked outside the house,but I burst through the front door and up the stairs. I ignore my mother and uncle's calls until nightfall. During the course of four hours, my phone wouldn't stop ringing; it seemed everyone I knew was calling me. I remained where I was and listened to my voicemail.  
"Yumi-chan, it's me, Sakura. What's wrong?Did something bad happen"  
"Hey, Yumi, it's Choji. I tried to get your favorite dish,but your mom said your not feeling well, so I guess I'll give you the teriyaki bowl later"  
"Yumi-oneechan, answer your phone! Don't be so down! Your crush will end like spring rains or whatever! Come on"  
"Yumi-san, it's Sasuke. Sorry you had to find out about Itachi and Zetian through me. You don't have to go to the wedding"  
"Heya,Yumi. It's Sayuri Uchiha. I never get to talk to you despite what everyone says's about you, so I guarantee you that I will make Zetian's life a living hell for you"  
I listened to the 52 messages I got, until I heard the two recordings I didn't want to hear. "Yumi, this is Zetian. I just wanted to invite you to the wedding. It's October 31, which I heard was your birthday, so I guess that means I'll finally be able to get you a present you'll never forget! This isn't actually an invitation, it's more or less a command. I hear that white is the traditional color for death, so I'd expect you to wear the whitest dress out their, for the apparent death of whaever romantic relations you had with My Fiance"  
Then, I heard the voice that would have earlier brought me out of any depression,but only furthered it.  
"Yumi-san, this is Itachi. By now, you may have heard I was getting married, so I guess I would invite you to the wedding, but I hear your sick.I hope you get well soon. And Sasuke will give me the directions to your house so I guess I'll be able to help you on your project"  
That night I cried myself to sleep, and only vaguely heard my mother come in to tuck me in the covers and kiss my forehead.She sets my camera, the notebook,The Peony Pavilion and Neji's poem on the bedside.

* * *

In my dream, the pavilion has changed. It no longer rises from the lake but is now on an island. The lake has now become misty and the rain pours on the roof of the pavilion. The flowers had died and even now I was holding a dead rose.The mountains are shrouded and I can only vaguely see the sun shining through the mist. I am crumpled on the floor of the pavilion, and I feel something warm ooze down my front. I reach towards my heart and pull my hand back. It is covered in blood and there is a jeweled dagger pointing between my breasts. I was the had become a hearbroken ghost. I let out a cry of sorrow as the blood stains my white dress

* * *

What a strange turns of events this story has taken. This makes me feel so emo, and accompanying that is Evanescence music! So, I guess this means another chapter shall arrive, this one to be titled 'Two for Mirth.' When it comes out, I dunno, but I promise Yumi will certainly feel happy, as is the name of the second chapter. And I apologize for any typos, for I have long nails and I was a bit rushed.  
-And Bids You All Adieu


	2. Two For Mirth

Yawn So, I've been too busy and to sleepy to update, but I recently got some inspiration to write the second part of the story. Starts playing Sift Heads and reccently actually read a fanfic that either got me so riled off(in a bad/good way) and inspired me to continue.Soooo before I start to drone on and on about random things, let me remind you all of the basics.

Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and it's various characters.

Shan Sa,Lisa See and Mineko Iwasaki own their own novels that appear,respectively.

Tang Xianzu of the sixteenth century owns The Peony Pavilion, and thus owns Du Liniang.

I (barely) own the OCs that appear in this novel.

And now,without further adieu, the second chapter to The Magpie's Lullaby.

_"Let those who doubt,doubt.Let those who believe,believe."_

-Wu Ren, The Three Wives Commentary.

_I am having another dream,this time not on the floating pavilion. I am in a garden surrounded by cherry blossoms, and there are dozens of women in seven layered kimono around me. Shadows protect their eyes and they are hiding their soft laughter behind their kimono sleeves. One approaches me and looks me right in the eye. She has wonderful green eyes that take on an intesity in of itself. She mouths something that I can't here, but it causes the other women to laugh hysterically.The green eyed woman slowly and gracefully turns around and is engulfed on a sea of petals. The petals themselves cut my skin like knives, and I awake screaming in pain._

* * *

(Normal POV)

Inside Classroom B12, there is something wrong going on. It's not so much a matter of injustice rather than something much more mundane: the classroom bell hasn't rung yet. And it is digging deeply into the mind of one Naruto Uzumaki. He glares at the still bell, trying hard to make it burst into flames and promising to never damage it again,pleading with it all the while cursing it.

(come on you goddamn bell ring come on please o please)

He is ignoring there English teacher,Kurenai Yuhi, who at six months pregnant seemed ready to burst open. In the front seats where her favorite students:Hinata Hyuga, the daughter and heir to a multi-million dollar company owned by her family,who was normally quiet and painfully shy, Sakura Haruno, who was studious and bitchy at the same time, and Haku Shiro, who was poetic and ecentric but still playful and mysterious. Behind those three bookworms were Kiba Inuzuka(who had been punished justly for bringing Akamaru to school by having to clean up every area Akamaru happened to 'mark' as his own),Karin Haruno( Sakura's cousin, who was just as annoying) Neji Hyuga( one of Naruto's friends who practiced the martial arts and managed to be the Hemingway of their group), Shikamaru Nara( the genius behind the infamous Streaking and Eggs Day of Eighth Grade),Tenten Ama( one of Sakura's bestest friends, who was also a Zetian loyalist), some unknown Sasuke groupies( Sakura had established a Sasuke fanclub, and these were some members. Hey, I have that blonde one for gym.),Sayuri Uchiha( the star track fielder and Sasuke's twin sister, who seemed to share some traits with her two brothers), Sai( who happend to be in love with Sayuri) Emo-Lad(whose real identity is Sasuke Uchiha,go figure) Tayuya something-or-other( who once tried to run over Onee-chan and has along with Zetian and a few others bullied her since) a few other people he doesn't remember, blah blah blah, that Sora dude,that Akane, there's Gaara(Emo Lad's secret companion!) and that was it.

(damn it you dumb bell ring ring ring please ring i need to play some sift heads dammit)

He remembered the day his cousin Yumi returned to school, more than a few days after she learned The Horrid Truth. She was more quiet and reserved, and had chosen to sit in the back seat of most of her classes. He saw her only once,in the cafeteria, and that was around the time Zetian had approached her. Zetian's demonically beautiful face was filled with a satisfatory essence when he saw her again during their five minute break, and he had learned from Sakura

(damn bitch that she is she is useful)

Yumi had been reduced to tears and had taken refuge in Shizune's, the head nurse, office. After that, she was excused from classes the whole week. On Monday, she would have to return and face the music once more, and since she had most of her classes with at least one Naruto-or-other-friend confidante, he was sure she would be alright.

"Mr. Uzumaki."

"Huh?" He looks away from the silver bell and into Kurenai-sensei's red eyes. He briefly remembered how she always treated Yumi like a rare fragile crystal that would one day break and how she once failed Zetian for ruining Yumi's beautiful report on her favorite novel, _The Peony Pavilion._ Naruto himself had taken justice into his own hands and filled Zetian's locker with red paint, urine from a stranger and rotten eggs. He hadn't been there to see her face when she opened her locker, but he had witnesses,a picture, and had heard her shrill screams. To this day, the infamous defacer of public proper-tay has yet to be caught. All that went through his mind in a nanosecond.

" How has Yumi been? I heard she hasn't been here a week, and I am worried for her."

"Onee-chan? She's fine. She's a little sick though,but she'll be back on Monday." With that, Kurenai's face was filled with relief." Thank goodness." She went back to her desk,opened a cabinet and pulled out a red book with a flower on it. She wobbles back to me and thrusts the book to my face." I just found this book on sale at Barnes and Nobles, and I know how fond Yumi is about _The Peony Pavilion_, so..."

Oh. So that's it? No trouble or nothing? Well, that's a first! However, Naruto smiles back warmly at his pregnant English teacher." Thanks, Kurenai-sensei. She'd appreciate it."

( whoa whoa whoa did i just actually do that did i refer to her as a dead person nah i suck at english just a coincidence nothing more get on with your life)

Kurenai smiles back. "No problem. Hope your cousin feels better."

Later, Naruto reported straight to the cafe and informed Haku, the proposed seer of the school, about the events that had unfolded, and how he had referred to his ailing cousin in the past tense, and how Kurenai-sensei had given him a book called _Peony in Love_ by Lisa See() to give to his cousin. Haku's beautiful brown eyes darted back and briefly filled with various emotions

(melancholy anger danger what the hell whoa why am i noticing this shit now of all times damn you hormones)

before returning to normal. He quickly told Naruto about what not to wear during the Festival of the Weaving Maiden, that him being a Monkey made it inauspicuous(note: I believe I misspelled that) to walk down The Avenue of the Flying Phoenix, and how he should be careful about eating cucumbers near a pond, because they attracted kappa and fountain nymphs. Naruto left the cafe as confused when he came.

* * *

The sun had begun to set, yet already a flurry of pink and red and orange filled the skies above the city. Near Ichiriki Street, the Haruno family was busy buying some gifts and placing them in beautiful bags( because paper and a box were so eighteenth century) for the Uchiha wedding. On Nanoha Avenue,were all the expensive stores were at, Zetian herself was dressed up in a fine Versace gown, embedded with tiny diamonds like Marie Antoinette. She spun around in a flurry of sparkles and whiteness, and her friends 'oohed' and 'aahed' despite their temporary blindness. On Hanamikoji Avenue, near the Miyako Odori Theatre,Haku Shiro,along with his boyfriend Suigetsu Houzuki, were rushing down to Mineko Iwasaki Avenue() towards Yumi's house. And at Yumi's house, she was busy reading _Peony in Love_.

* * *

Three furious knocks assaulted the house, and echoed in the darkness and silence. At the back of the house, Nadeshiko Iwasaki( dun dun! Yumi's last name revealed!) was in the shower and deaf to the knocking. Yuri Iwasaki was sleeping upstairs, his earphones carelessly slipping off revealing the sounds of " Nearer My God is Thee"() and Yumi herself was engulfed in darkness in her closet. It had been one of her many childhood refuges, and she now hid in it for fear she should answer the door to open into reality and the painful sorrows sewn within. Pandora herself wouldn't have been as foolish.

" Yumi-chan? Are you there?" It was a soft voice,barely carried up the stairs.It held mystery and kindness, and she knew immediatly it was Haku's voice. Mentally, she smacked herself.

(god how could i have been so dumb so paranoid its haku dammit whats there to be afraid of)

"Yumi! Open this goddam door before I bust it open!"

She sighed. If there was something she should have remembered, it was the fact that wherever Haku went, Suigetsu was sure to follow. It made her giggle to know he had to constantly put up with Haku's random quirkiness. It was literally the epitome of yin and yang; darkness to light,day to night

(here my plea thee to me)()

She opened her closet door and walked out. As she headed down the steps, she replayed the fateful day she had come back to school after her three day absence. There were only four classes before lunch, and she had known Zetian also had lunch with her. She had dreaded the moment until the bell rang and the class emptied itself to go to lunch. She waited at the top of the stairs, watching the crowd of students swell and recede,swell and recede ad nauseam. She watched the pattern until the crowd receded for good and she made her way through the long route to the cafeteria. She hoped the cafeteria was swarmed with students to give her cover, but it seemed to forces of nature were opposed to it; most of the students had finished eating and had gone outside. However, the moment she stepped foot into the cafeteria, a a trickle of students wondered into the cafeteria and up to the rafters,calmly waiting for something to happen. The trickle grew into a small stream, then a river, then a wave. The rafters were crowded, the seats brimming with students, and the walls lined up with students.Their voices grew louder, and Yumi only managed to find a handful of friends; Neji,Sai and Shikamaru up the rafters,Kimimaro and Juugo leaning on the wall, and The Three Muskateer-rettes had even graced the crowd with their presence; throughout the whole time, Sayuri,Raiha and Mameha had viewed Yumi with a sympathetic eye.

Suddenly, silence. Calls to friends on the other side, screams of laughter, and catcalls ended when Zetian and her groupies entered the cafeteria. Zetian's long black hair ended above her waist, and her crystal blue eyes (made up a color,can't remember if I gave her a different one, too lazy to look back.) were pointed at one person alone; Yumi Iwasaki.

Under Zetian's steely glare, Yumi paled and had shrunken back. People had gathered around as Zetian was in hugging distance of Yumi. Briefly, Yumi looked up to see Neji,Sai and Shikamaru silently cheering her on, and her eyes drifted to Sayuri. She looked back...

...and winked. Yumi shakily sighed. She was never one to start conversations, and her notebooks clattered as she trembled." Hello, Zetian-san." Yumi's blue-black eyes glanced down to Zetian's Louis Vuitton shoes. The small toenails,the size of a small seashell, were painted a light pink. Zetian herself wore expensive True Religion jeans, a tight Baby Phat shirt, dozens of braceletes, designer earrings, and a simple diamond choker. Her nails were painted a pale pink. Yumi herself wore an old black peasant skirt that dragged on the floor,with black leggings underneath and a torn pair of black Chuck Taylors,whilst a baggy black sweater completed her vampire-going-to-Woodstock look. She hadn't cared to wear jewlery or comb her hair, and only put on a beret.Yumi noticed a small sapphire and pearl engagement ring. Her eyes quickly filled up

( oh god itachi itachi teaches history with kakashi i'm gonna see him next). Zetian smirked.

"So, I hope you heard my message. You better wear something...good, to say the least. If you wear something gauty or something poor-looking, I'll kick you out of the wedding and Itachi will never see you." Zetian lowered herself( Yumi was 5'2 while Zetian, in her heels, was 6'2) and whispered in her ear," You'll never even see Itachi after the wedding,because I'll have you dead by the time it's over. Or, at least you'll kill yourself by the next day." With that, Zetian turned on her heels and with her posse behind her faithfully, she left. Yumi had digested what she had heard, and made her drop her notebooks and _The Peony Pavilion_ once she managed to understand Zetian's words.

(dead oh god she's gonna kill me she's getting married to make my last day miserable and she'll stab to the last drop is spilled)

Tears spilled from her cheeks and she dropped to the floor on her knees. Then, darkness enveloped and she only remembered a few things: Juugo and Kimimaro taking her to Shizune-san's office, Neji coming in with her books, and Shizune coming in once in a while to check up on her. When she finally came to, Tsunade walked in and told her she could have the rest of the week off.

Fastforward to Friday. She quickly skimmed down the steps and opened the door to find an angry Suigetsu and a stern Haku. As quickly as she had opened the door, Haku walked briskly inside and turned to the left to the dining room. He made a beeline for a reclining chair and sat down. Suigetsu chose one of the dining chairs, while Yumi dove to the sofa.

For a while, things were quiet. Yumi looked from Suigetsu to Haku to back to Suigetsu when Haku finally spoke up." So Yumi, I hear your coming back to school." Yumi nodded." Yep, you heard right."

"Yumi, say, coulda tell us what exactly Zetian did that made you faint during lunch?" Suigetsu looked her with his lavender eyes. She quickly looked away." She kinda...said a death thingy."

"Huh? She threatened you?" Suigetsu straightened up while Haku looked as calmly as ever.Yumi turned three shades of red." W-well, not threatened per se, but she said by the next day I'd kill myself."

"Aaaah." Haku spoke up again. His brown eyes stared a hole into her soul, and she shivered.Haku smiled warmly." She doesn't know that one born during the Months of October are gifted with the power of luck. Zetian herself doesn't know that the month of her birth won't give her an advantage." With that, he stopped himself and smiled warmly. I gape at him, and burst out laughing. Out of the corner of my eyes I see Haku's brown eyes stare at me, perplexed, while Suigetsu tries to hide his own smile.

"Nani? What's wrong?" Haku asks. I double over, grasping my sore side.

"HAHA-Th-that-HAHAH-makes n-no-no-HAHAHAHA-s-sense!!HAHAHAHA!"

I fall off the sofa and start to roll on the floor.Finally, Suigetsu doubles over on the chair and starts laughing himself. Haku then joins in, laughing quietly behind his hand. For a full five minutes, the three of us laugh hysterically, and I think Yuri had walked to the kitchen next to the dining room,looking at us like some random maniacle orphans laughing at our bad fate. My mother calls out from the bathroom, but I can't hear her, so I nonchalantly shout a "YES!" before I gasp for air.

Finally,we stop, but I can't help but fall into another case of giggles as I look at Haku's messy hair and Suigetsu's watery eyes. Finally, after squalling the last of our laughter, Haku,with the occasional hiccup, stated," Don't worry, Yumi-chan. Zetian can't do a thing to you with us around. Besides, Zetian's only jealous of you. Your worth twenty of her, right, Sui-chan?"

"You said it. Yumi, Itachi probably does like you, a LOT. He just didn't have a say in the marriage. Can't blame him for that,now can you?"

" I guess so. But why does she even want me their?" Haku chewed his lip and shrugged." She wants you tressed up, so maybe she just wants to flaunt her power over you. If you ask me, you really shouldn't go."

" But, you know Zetian! She'll find a way to like,hurt me if I don't go." I sigh. I assessed my situation, for lack of a better word; if I go to the wedding, I'll just be witnessing the demise of my dreams. If I don't go, Zetian will make my life a living hell. I fall back onto the sofa." It's hopeless!!" I shout into the pillow. Haku sighs. He gets up and smooths the wrinkles off his shirt and walks to me( as far as I can hear you). He leans down to my ear and whispers two words.

" Tokio.Hotel."

With that, I shoot straight up." Nani? What did you say?"

He waves to pieces of rectangular paper in my face and says," They'll be hear in a few weeks. I know how much you've been DYING to see this band, so I thought..." I reach for the papers but he pulls them away. He waves them far from me. " Nuh-uh. You can go to the concert and I'll give them to you. But there's a catch."

"Whaaat?"

"It's on the same day as the wedding."

My heart sinks, but then leaps up. Itachi knows how much I love Tokio Hotel, so maybe with him, I can have an excuse about missing the wedding! I smile." Haku, you insane genius," Suigetsu says. Haku smiles knowingly." Yeah, I can be like that."

* * *

_I am wandering the guarden. The kimono-clad ladies are still there, but now they only look at me with distaste coloring their faces. I pull far away from them and stop under a plum tree. The petals float gently down on my face, and I am filled with warmth. I look down and find a gravestone. Only two words are etched into it's white perfection: Du Liniang. I turn away from the grave and am confronted with the image of a beautiful young girl. She is dressed in a red kimono, and she looks at me with caring love in her eyes. She whispers only one thing," Botan."_

End

Wowee. I did not think I would finish this chapter. I was too busy watching the VMAs( Tokio Hotel won, WOOHOO!!) and I had to utilize TEH support of "Misery Bussiness'' to finish this chappie. I actually got re-inspired to read this after reading a certain story that got me so frikin' riled up I thought, hey new chappie,comin' my way!

References listed:

() The Peony Pavilion is owned by Lisa See, and the coming character Botan( Japanese for Peony) is based on the novel's heroine. So Idon't own the book,nor Peony, and I somewhat own Botan.

()Mineko Iwasaki is a famous Geisha from the sixties and seventies, so I thought the idea to name a street after her.I also wanted Yumi to have a geisha name, so technically I do not own the name Iwasaki.

() Remember that violin piece they played during the movie Titanic? That was Nearer My God Is Thee.

()That from the Alta Saga, a series of books by Jane Yolen, so unfortunately I do not own that particular sentence.

Oh, yeah, I guess I should talk about Zetian; She is inspired by a certain fanfic writer who happens tohave an account on this cite. Howeverk I have to be respectful, so I won't name the author,nor list one of her works.Zetian,of course, is the name of Wu Xetian, China's first and only sole ruling empress. There is no particular reason I named her that,though.

-And Bids You All Adieu


End file.
